"You know, I used to say, my daughter is the engine of the family. All of us were like bogies [carriages] yoked to the engine." 

The words of a broken father trying to make sense of his only daughter's death; the result of a brutal gang rape that shook India exactly one year ago. The full, heart-breaking article can be read here.

'Nirbhaya' -the name given to the victim by the media- literally translates from Hindi as 'without fear'. Personally, I prefer the other (similar but not the same) translation: the one who is brave. There is much in the world to be fearful of, and to attempt to be fearless in the face of it is not only dangerous, but pretty much impossible. Fear can sometimes keep us alive. To be brave despite your fear- that is what Nirbhaya was, both on that fateful day and throughout the nightmarish aftermath. 

One year on, she is more than just a loss her parents will never quite come to terms with. She lives on as our daughter, our sister and our friend. Far from being a day to forget, December 16 is a day we must always remember.